


Exhibition Match

by Letonintendo



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: A hint of Leon and Raihan having a, M/M, Pokemon Battle, Secret Relationship, The OCs are just commentators, Wholesome
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-10
Updated: 2019-12-10
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:27:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,135
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21749011
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Letonintendo/pseuds/Letonintendo
Summary: Leon and Hop are at home, ready to watch the exhibition match for the new gym challenge season. This time, it's Raihan vs Melony, and Leon watches very intently while Hop is VERY excited. Raihan seems to have a new strategy...First chapter is the match, second chapter will be the post-match interview, where Raihan tries his best to embarrass Leon when he's not even there.
Relationships: Kibana | Raihan/Dande | Leon
Comments: 9
Kudos: 89





	Exhibition Match

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to my partner Mark, without his love and support I'd never write or post anything. Thank you so much beb <3

"Kids! Dinner's ready!"

The call was met with a two-toned "Coming, Mum!"

Neither of them could exactly be called kids anymore, but they certainly acted like it as they almost tumbled down the stairs excitedly like a couple of hungry Yampers.

It wasn't like they had the chance to do this every day, Leon usually being out doing whatever his Champion duties called for him to do, but for now he could have some well-deserved downtime. No one could blame him, it was only yesterday when he tried to nip out for an emergency pint of milk and it took all of five minutes before a crowd had enveloped him. Not that he didn't like it or appreciate it, but he yearned for a day that a simple task didn't take over an hour.

"Hurry up, Lee! Help me find where Dad put the remote!"

Leon smiled as he knew exactly what he was about to see: the same thing he saw every Saturday he spent at home. Hop had defaced the entire living room with cushions thrown about and everything pulled out from under the table, one hand shoving with another precariously balancing his dinner plate. One of the sconces on the wall had to be completely replaced last year from Hop leaning on it to get a good view behind a sofa.

Their parents knew better to get involved and ate their dinner at the table in the kitchen like civilised people, but today was the start of the new Gym Challenge season! The viewing ritual always started with this, followed by Dad realising he had the remote in his back pocket the whole time. Leon had taken his younger brother's plate away from him before he would've had to eat his food off the floor and placed it on the coffee table to help him rearrange the furniture so they could sit unhealthily close to the TV.

"Sorry Purrl, but you know how it is!" Hop apologised to the cat Pokémon, who was annoyed as she turned her back to them and went to sulk next to the radiator, "I'm putting the telly on now, Lee, there's only a couple of minutes before it starts."

They took their usual places, Hop on the left and Leon on the right. The Champion held out Hop's dinner to him, now lukewarm, who took it while turning up the volume. The channel was already on PSPN from the night before when they had stayed up late watching highlights of previous tournaments. 

"This is the pre-challenge exhibition match, yeah?" Hop asked as if he didn't already know, his mind too excited to find the answer on his own.

"Yeah," Leon instinctively touched the brim of his cap, his "Raihan" cap to be precise. Most of his caps were designed specifically for him as part of a brand deal, and he wanted this one to have an orange brim and front panels with black at the back. It normally took place proudly at the head of Leon's bed, or on Leon's actual head when he was able to watch Raihan battle. It was worn a lot more before the press noticed he never wore a different cap for any other competitor, so with a bit of embarrassment he switched to wearing his normal black and gold "Fang" cap all the time.

After a final advert break, the announcer's voice boomed through the house, "Good evening, this is Nathan Walsh joined by my colleague Ben Wright on PSPN, coming live from Wyndon Stadium to kick off the pre-challenge exhibition between Raihan and Melony! Raihan looks to be in incredible form as always, doesn't he, Ben?"

Leon beamed as the Rotom drone swept around Raihan, who walked onto the pitch with his Rotom-possessed device swirling around him as he paused to take one of his famous selfies, the audience already on their phones ready to view the pitch from the photo's angle.

"You're right there, Nathan! He was spotted training yesterday after uploading a few pictures of the equipment that a few Decidueyed fans identified as the Stow-on-Side gym's training area, and the sandstorm pictures definitely confirmed it! I can safely speak for all of us when I say we can't wait to see his Duraludon in action tonight!"

"You were there too, right Lee?"

Hop's voice snapped Leon out of his attention to the telly, his little brother's eyes on him, full of excitement.

"I was, Raihan wanted to show me the new facilities they have there. Did you know they have a sauna now? Charizard loved it."

"What?! You have to take me next time you go!"

Leon started to reply but was drowned out by the roar of the crowd in the stadium, who had donned their official Raihan merchandised ponchos to protect them from the dust in the air called by Gigalith. The rock Pokémon blasted Melony's poor Frosmoth with rocks before being completely knocked out by the iconic sandstorm.

The announcers cheered along, "And Melony's first Pokémon is down! It hardly even made a scratch, which will she send out next?"

"Wow," Hop exclaimed, his arms raised above his head and his plate almost sliding off his lap, "he's giving it all he's got, even for an exhibition!"

"He always does, but he'll hold back a little now." Leon said knowingly, "You see his stance? His left foot is more forward. He's got something up his sleeve."

"I didn't even notice, you're amazing, Lee!"

Eiscue was next up, the big ice block on its head shattering as it took a heavy body press from the opposing rock Pokémon. Melony used this chance to change the weather herself. The audience went wild and Hop took to his feet, Leon acting fast to grab his (thankfully empty) plate and put it on the table underneath his own. With Eiscue's icy cube rebuilt from the hail, Raihan noticeably recalculated his strategy. The drone Rotom hovered above him as it showed him saying something to Melony with a smile, the words drowned out by the roar of the audience.

"It's like a snowman building itself! Raihan will have to think on his feet here, Nathan, and hopefully soon. I can hear the 30,000 sets of teeth chattering from here!" The narration continued.

A short moment passed before the Gigalith started to pummel the penguin Pokémon with rocks. The first destroyed its chilly helmet before the second, third and fourth battered it until it gave up and fainted.

"Gigalith looks quite worn out, Ben, and- Oh, it's fainted too! The hail was just too much for it!"

"Oh wow what- Did you see that?!" Hop almost screamed at Leon, who was leaning forward with his hands together, watching intently. "That was so good! That hail strat, and then Gigalith went BAM, and then BAM BAM BAM!"

A frilly red cushion flew onto Leon's lap as his brother energetically punched the air and bounced on his seat, "It certainly was interesting, but I don't think that was Raihan's secret. He's got something else."

The next Pokéballs thrown out were Darmanitan and Flygon. Raihan's Flygon was faster, instantly going in for a hit with wings of steel. It took a good chunk of health off the defending Pokémon, who retaliated with a heavy-hitting slew of icicles from above, further strengthened by the hail. Flygon was like a sitting duck for the vicious attack and passed out, called back into its ball before it could hit the ground.

"That was a quick one," the announcers piped up again, "usually Raihan's precious Flygon gets in more action than that! Up next we'll see Sandaconda, can it take down the- Wait a minute! Raihan's going for something different! He's sent out Duraludon already, has he made a mistake or is this part of his plan?"

Hop grabbed a cushion and squeezed it tight. "Duraludon? What's he doing?! This is crazy!!"

Leon had picked up the cushion from his lap too, covering his lower face with it as he looked on in awe. Was he planning to...?

Raihan wore a teeth-baring smirk as his Duraludon's heavy tail smashed against Melony's Pokémon, collapsing before it could even change forms. The steel dragon roared to the camera, seemingly enjoying its time being a normal size for once.

Melony sent out her last, Lapras, her and her Pokémon both looking a bit puzzled at the situation. Any changes to lineups are usually discussed before an exhibition, and this definitely wasn't. Either way, Melony called her Pokémon back to Gigantamax it, using her band to grow the ball before cuddling it and throwing it high into the air. The Lapras swelled to huge proportions until it finally slammed onto the ground, which sent a shudder through the whole arena and blew back the poor Rotom drone. Ice swirled around it as it instantly used its newfound power to attack Duraludon while creating a veil around itself.

"Raihan's best Pokémon has taken the heavy brunt of that attack! Melony was quick on the mark to Gigantamax her Lapras, a common strategy for her. Challengers entering the new season will have to face off against this giant beast too, if they get that far! At least the hail has stopped, but the icy moves will drive the temperature ever lower."

The PSPN graphics overlay changed to display information about the Gigantamax Pokémon, Raihan's side blank as everyone was waiting for the reveal.

Duraludon slammed into the large Lapras before it was hit again by the ice-type move, unable to take any more attacks. Every single person in the stadium looked on in suspense, along with Hop and Leon.

There was a dramatic pause, the announcers and the crowd being so quiet that it became eerie. Raihan finally pulled his last unused ball from his belt, an audible gasp leaving the onlookers as a whole. He finally unleashed his final Pokémon, Sandaconda.

"What's he doing?" Hop said and Leon thought at the same time, "Is he not going to Gigantamax in this match?"

Leon suddenly grabbed Hop's wrist and pointed to the screen, "That's not his Sandaconda! I mean, not his usual one! You see, the nostrils are smaller, and the black markings are thinner!"

"Oh, yeah! So... What does that mean??"

Before anyone could answer, Raihan called the snake Pokémon back to its ball before it enlarged, his phone moving in front of him to take a picture of a pose that was different from his usual Gigantamax selfie. He launched the ball up to release a giant tornado of sand, extravagantly bursting to reveal the giant Pokémon coiled to look like a hurricane with its head peeking out at the top.

"WHOA! WHAT IS THAT?!" Hop jumped to his feet on the sofa, "HE GIGANTAMAX NOT THAT ONE BUT THIS ONE? BUT HE ALWAYS USES THAT ONE AFTER THIS ONE AND THEN HE, THEN HE-"

The Champion also raised to his feet, missing his slippers. He pressed the cushion harder to his chest with his mouth agape. "I... I had no idea! He never said anything to me!"

"What a revelation! This is a first in PSPN history! This is an exhibition match for the ages! People will certainly be talking about this for years to come!" The announcers shouted with the crowd screaming over them.

Raihan yelled to the sky as Sandaconda blasted the opposing Lapras with sand, enveloping it in a powerful vortex. The trapped Pokémon struggled to breathe but it held on, opening its maw to release a geyser that crashed directly into Sandaconda. It was an effective hit and triggered a turn of weather to create a downpour.

Lapras was showing obvious signs of fatigue when a pillar of flame erupted from the snake and smashed through the sandstorm at full force, clearing up the skies to make way for harsh sunlight. Lapras tried to hold on as best it could, but the heat melted away the ice that surrounded it, and its head dropped. Melony finally withdrew her Pokémon and sighed while fanning herself.

"YESSS! THAT WAS- THAT WAS SO GOOD! LEE DID YOU SEE WHEN HE WENT POW AND IT EXPLODED?!" Hop jumped up and down on the sofa. It creaked in protest, "That was the best match EVER!"

Hop leapt to the floor and let go of the cushion, hurtling towards the TV. It barely missed and shook and Leon darted towards it, catching it just before it toppled off the edge of the wooden unit.

A voice called out from the kitchen, "Boys! You better not be making a mess in there! Leon, tell your brother not to break anything again!"

They both froze for a second before the older of the two broke the silence with a sheepish, "Y-Yes Mum!"


End file.
